NC Coop Extension

Garden Chat Series Offers Tips, Suggestions For Gardeners’ Fall, Winter Tasks

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The Vance/Warren Master Gardener℠ volunteers will host a series of “garden chats” for local gardening enthusiasts. The virtual, interactive lecture series is titled “Fall & Winter: The Most Important Gardening Season.” The first session is Thursday, Oct. 21 and begins at 2 p.m.

The gardening tasks of the fall and winter seasons set the stage for a beautiful and productive garden over the following spring and summer, and this educational series will provide step-by-step guidance to achieve success, according to information from Paul McKenzie, agricultural extension agent for  Vance and Warren counties.

Topics include Trees & Shrubs for Birds and Pollinators, Fall Garden Chores, Vegetable Garden Season Extension, Pruning and more. All sessions will use the Zoom video conferencing platform, which is a free download for computers, smartphones and tablets.

This is a free series, but registration is required. Sign up for all sessions, or choose specific topics of interest. For more information and to register, visit http://go.ncsu.edu/mgchat. For details, contact McKenzie at paul_mckenzie@ncsu.edu, 252.438.8188 or 252.257.3640.

Butner’s Polk Correctional Facility Gets New Name – Now Granville Correctional Institution

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The former Polk Correctional Institution in Butner has been officially re-named Granville Correctional Institution on Monday, Oct. 4. Warden Johnny Hawkins cut the ribbon to mark the occasion, which was held at Gazebo Park in Butner. Representatives of the Granville County Chamber of Commerce were on hand with other officials to witness the name change ceremony.

The Butner facility opened in 1997 to replace the Polk Youth Center in Raleigh. Originally designed to house youthful offenders between the ages of 18 and 21, it evolved to become a detention facility for those between 19 and 25.

 

Granville Vance Public Health Logo

TownTalk: Improving News On Covid 19

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COVID-19 vaccinations are an important layer of defense that health officials recommend to help turn back the tide of coronavirus. Along with hand washing, social distancing and mask wearing, it’s shots in arms that has Granville-Vance Public Health Director Lisa Harrison optimistic about the state of things in her health district.

For the past three weeks, the health district has seen fewer COVID-19 cases, as opposed to the end of August and September when cases were on the uptick just about every single day. She told Town Talk host Bill Harris Wednesday that things seem to be looking up.

“The more people that get vaccinated, the less we’ll see that curve…grow,” Harrison said. And as vaccinations continue to go up, the more people will feel comfortable getting back to more normal activities.

Harrison reiterated what other health experts have stated for some time – the majority of those in hospital and ICU’s now with COVBID-19 are unvaccinated.  “The virus will grow a new case and live for a little while,” she said, “and unvaccinated people are where this Delta variant have found its host.”

Granville and Vance counties both are below the state level for percent positive rates – Granville has a 4 percent rate and Vance is at about 6 percent; the state rate is about 9 percent, Harrison said.

She gives credit to community members who have been good about following the public health recommendations and guidelines. “I’m very proud of our communities,” Harrison said. “And we’re getting better all the time.”

While the Delta variant has gotten a lot of attention, Harrison said there are other variants that scientists are watching. “The good news is, so far, they haven’t spread like Delta. If we can stop this virus in its tracks, it will stop mutating so quickly,” she said.

Vaccines bolsters our immune systems and make our bodies stronger to resist viruses, she said. But the effectiveness  of the COVID-19 vaccines, like so many other tried-and-true vaccines, wanes over time, which is why booster shots are recommended.

There will be a Phizer booster clinic on Oct. 15 at the Vance-Granville Community College Civic Center, Harrison said. Anyone who meets the criteria to get the booster shot may get that booster between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

 

 

Vance County Sheriff's Office

Vance Co. Sheriff’s Office Presenting Domestic Violence Awareness Event

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Think Community, the Third Annual Domestic Violence Awareness Event, hosted by Sheriff Curtis R. Brame, the Vance Co. Sheriff’s Office and Dr. Abidan Shah, pastor of Clearview Church, will be held on Saturday, Oct. 23rd at 3pm at Clearview Church, 3485 US Highway 158 in Henderson. Keynote speaker will be Chief Estella Patterson of the Raleigh Police Department. Special guest community choir will be Roy Burroughs & Work in Progress. Refreshments will be provided by Clearview Church. For more information contact Debbie K. Scott, Gang Resource Officer/Domestic Violence, with the Vance Co. Sheriff’s Office at 252-738-2235 or by email at dscott@vancecounty.org.

Granville Vance Public Health Logo

Pfizer Booster Covid 19 Clinic Planned

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Granville-Vance Public Health is sponsoring a Pfizer Booster Vaccine Clinic on Friday October 15th from 10am to 3pm at the Vance Granville Community College Civic Center, 200 Community College Road in Henderson. No appointment is required. Covid 19 vaccine boosters are now authorized and available for eligible who had the Pfizer vaccine initially.  You can get a booster if it has been at least 6 months since your second Pfizer shot, and one of the following is true:

You are 65 or older

You are 18 and older and:

  • You live or work in a nursing home or other long term care residential facility
  • You have a medical condition that puts you at high risk for severe illness such as obesity, asthma, heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.
  • You work in a high risk profession, meaning you are coming into contact with a lot of people and you don’t know their vaccination status, for example, health care workers, first responders, teachers, food processing workers, retail and restaurant workers and public transportation workers
  • You live or work in a place where many people live together, for example, homeless shelters, correctional facilities, migrant farm housing, dormitories or other group living settings in colleges or universities.

 

If you plan on getting your booster shot, you will need to bring your Covid 19 vaccination card and an insurance card, if you have it but the insurance card is not required.

Granville School Board Approves Weekly COVID-19 Screening For All Unvaccinated Staff

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The Granville County Board of Education approved at its meeting Monday night the weekly COVID-19 screening for all staff who are non-vaccinated or who choose not to report their vaccination status.

The testing likely will begin in December, according to Dr. Stan Winborne, GCPS public information officer and associate superintendent of curriculum & instruction and student services.
Winborne told WIZS News Tuesday that details will be shared as logistics are worked out with Mako, the third-party testing company.

The board also voted to approve the current mask guidelines for students and staff. Masks are required for all students while indoors, but they may be removed when outdoors, as long as the students maintain social distancing. Students who congregate outside and are closer than six feet to one another must continue to observe mask guidelines.

A public hearing is scheduled for Oct. 18, as part of the continuing discussion on school consolidation and possible school closure. Details will be made available about the public hearing soon, Winborne said.

Most Offices To Stay In Dennis Building; Youth Services Heading To Renovated Eaton Johnson Complex

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County residents who have business with the local board of elections or veterans’ services will continue to visit the Henry A. Dennis building on Garnett Street. But one agency is scheduled to relocate to the former Eaton Johnson campus when that county complex is completed, which will allow for some shifting of office space at the Dennis building, built in 1911.

County Manger Jordan McMillen said the offices of Youth Services are scheduled to move out of the Dennis building to the renovated space on Beckford Drive.

“We have had discussions in the past as to whether the county would be willing to sell the building, but the consensus currently is to continue utilizing the building for office space,” McMillen told WIZS News Tuesday.  Youth Services will move from the Dennis Building to the space adjacent to the gymnasium at Eaton Johnson, he said.

At present, that is the only planned move from the Dennis Building, he noted.

However, Juvenile Justice will expand into the space vacated by Youth Services.

Although elections board officials had expressed interest in moving from the building, that has changed and McMillen said that office will stay put. And he said the county also is working to remedy issues brought to its attention by juvenile justice staff which, upon completion, would allow them to remain housed in the Dennis Building.

Nobody can predict the future, but no other moves are planned at this time, he said.

According to information in the agenda packet for the Oct. 4 meeting, juvenile justice officials had mentioned health and safety issues, as well as a need for better and easier accessibility.

The building has no elevator and a steep staircase, but a follow-up inspection of the building completed on July 27 determined the staircase and building meet the intent of the life safety code and that an elevator is not required due to applicable codes when the building was constructed and last renovated. In addition, staff is working with an HVAC company to correct inadequate ductwork that adversely affects some office spaces in the building and following up on a quote from a lead abatement contractor to address painting needs. Also cited is a lack of confidentiality because of the way some offices and doors are configured. County staff is evaluating ways to improve confidentiality.

In other action, McMillen said the request for proposal was released today (Tuesday), following the board’s approval to bring in an engineer to design a speculative shell building as part of Phase III of the industrial park.

“The design is only the first step, and ultimately we would like to get to a construction phase, but realize construction pricing is challenging at the current moment,” McMillen said.

“I would anticipate having a design within six to eight months of authorizing the work, then receiving RFPs by the end of October,” he noted. At that point, staff will work with the commissioners about whether to proceed with the design.

The agenda information included that the design cost would be somewhere around $100,000 and could be covered with funds within the county’s economic development fund.

“Having a building design would assist in determining construction pricing and takes the next
step towards eventual construction,” the agenda packet read, and would put the county in a favorable position to entertain economic development projects.